Do I Make a Lot of Money as an Artist?

Q+A #2:

“Do You Earn a Lot of Money as an Artist & How did You Get There?”

This is a question that, like many, will bare a different answer for different Artists. For me, personally, it comes down to basic income vs outlay of time and money.

It is also worth noting that what I earn through my business can be considered either “a lot” or “little” depending on my financial commitments; for example, I do not have a mortgage or anything financed, so because my living expenses are generally quite low it is therefore logical to say that my business makes a decent amount of money. If I had a mortgage or loans with high interest rates, I would still be earning the same amount of money via my business, but it would not be considered enough to cover those expenses, as well as my daily living and added business expenses.  

It would be easy for one to assume, simply by viewing my prices on my website that I make “a lot of money” through my art, but what is not displayed are the expenses behind things like the materials I use, the printing process (for prints), postage and packaging, fuel, and most commonly misunderstood: my time.

While I may charge a couple hundred dollars for a portrait it is often assumed that it is quick money on top of the wage I earn from my employment. However, what many people aren’t aware or considerate of is just how much time and energy goes into drawing and creating art- especially Hyper-Realism, where every minute detail must be paid attention to- an act which consumes a substantial amount of time. Depending on the size of the portrait, the amount of detail in the reference photo, whether it is a dark or light subject, lots of or minimal hair/fur, whether there are any intricate patterns on clothing and so on, all play a substantial role in the time it takes to draw. 

What else is little known about the financial aspect of drawing portraits/selling prints, is that the time spent creating the artwork is usually not compensated for in the amount of money made. For example, a few years ago I was drawing A4 Pet Portraits for $150 and would typically spend around 6-10 hours on them. Divide $150 by- say 8 hours – and it comes to $18.75/hour, which is around minimum wage in Australia. Therefore, I am often spending my time doing something for the rate of minimum wage instead of other things a young person in their twenties might be doing. 

 As I have mostly been working my business simultaneously with a full or part-time job, what would usually be classed as my “leisure/downtime”, I spend working on my business. This means I have to constantly make careful decisions on what to spend my time on, prioritizing things over others, missing out on certain events, minimizing my socializing, etc, and it can often be very conflicting to have to constantly make decisions on who and what to spend my time on/with, as often it leads to some form of disappointing others. I must admit, however, that I personally have still managed to live a life full of fun, adventure and beautiful relationships, but the prospect of a weekend or a few days where I don’t have a full schedule is very rare, and the possibility of “burn-out” is never far around the corner. 

Q: “How Did You Get to Where You Are?”

In a financial respect I have gotten to where I am today through basic trial and error. For example, when I was 14 I was doing pet portraits for $30 (advertising from a hand-drawn poster put up at the local store) and when I first started my business in 2014, at 19 years old, I charged what I believed I could afford at the time, trusting that as I grew as an Artist my quality would incur a higher price, but as anyone who has ever delved into the world of Art would know- it is one of the most difficult industries to put as dollar value on- especially when majority of the time, Art comes from the creator’s soul with very little, if not no intention to make money- and that is a VERY difficult thing to put a price on. We Artists are generally considered “mad” to dedicate the amount of time and energy into our passions, and the only reason we do it is because we are madly in love with it. Pricing Artwork is a very complex situation that I could probably dedicate an entire separate blog to, however, so we will keep it minimal.

So, while I may be earning a full-time wage, plus the extra I earn from my business, it is never without sacrifice of time or financial investment into my business. Whichever way one chooses to look at it, I am grateful every day for every dollar in my account- for every dollar is food on my plate, a roof over my head, and a pencil in my hand. 

Until next time, keep creating.

-Madeline x